Time for Truth Campaign submits nearly 15,000 responses to the legacy consultation.

Families of the Time for Truth Campaign gathered and submitted a massive 14,875 individual responses to the NIO consultation, Addressing the Legacy of the Past.

The consultation regards the proposed legislation and mechanisms for dealing with the legacy of the conflict in the North of Ireland. It follows the signing of the Stormont House Agreement in 2014 and the absence of action since then to help our community deal with its past and to reconcile our differences.

The families mobilized support across the country to collect responses and held 11 advice clinics across Belfast last Saturday (29th September) to support citizens who wished to respond.

This week, representatives of the Time for Truth Campaign visited the European Parliament in Strasbourg to brief political leaders on its objectives to help deal with the past: (1) implementation of the Stormont House Agreement in full; (2) proper funding of the coronial inquest system; and (3) proper resourcing of the Office of the Police Ombudsman.

Speaking on behalf of the Time for Truth Campaign, Ciarán MacAirt said:

“We would like to thank all of the families and our supporters in the community for this massive effort. Nearly 15,000 individual responses – that is awe-inspiring. And we should be proud of every one because many of those we met may not have taken the opportunity to respond otherwise.

The British state has failed them until now but this may be the final opportunity for the state to rectify that and help us reconcile our differences.

Our families have spoken, so we expect that their voices are heard. Until the proper implementation of the Stormont House Agreement, we demand that legacy inquests and the work of the Police Ombudsman are appropriately funded.”